The Gift
by Leona629
Summary: As Suki and Sokka's wedding approaches, Toph decides to get the perfect gift for her best friend. Two-shot. Tokka, Sukka.
1. Toph's Gift

**Toph's Gift**

"Why am I doing this?"

Toph didn't even know if she was searching in the right place. All she had to go on was the general direction that Aang had given to her. After two months of desperate searching, she hadn't found so much as a nail. Granted, what she was looking for was a bit bigger than a nail, but it was still like looking for a nail in a swamp.

Not that that was far from the reality. The ground she was scavenging was wet and spongy. It was like being in the desert, she decided. Everything she saw was fuzzy. She could only see a few feet around her with any certainty.

_This has to be the worst idea I've ever had_, she thought. _I only have two weeks left. Maybe I should just give up-_

A different vibration went up her leg and she gasped with anticipation. "No way," she whispered out loud. She walked about three feet to her right and picked up a small metal object that lay in two feet of mud and water. It was cold and wet, but she could feel that there was no trace of rust on it. She held it close to her, not caring how dirty she got. There was no mistaking what it was.

Boomerang.

Finally, after two months of searching the edge of the Earth Kingdom, she'd found what she sought. She wasn't sure how long she stood there holding Boomerang. It was all she could do. She though back to the day it was lost…

"_Ow, my leg!"_

_A moment ago, they had been falling through the air, and now she was dangling from the airship, holding from one of Sokka's hands. She had heard his leg break when he landed on the small outcropping._

"_Hang on, Toph!" he yelled at her._

"_Aye, aye, captain!" It was all she could think to say. The pain he was feeling must have been intense. She could feel his heart beating impossibly fast through her hand. But still he held on to her, attempting to save her life._

_A moment later, she heard two soldiers approaching on outcroppings on either side of them. It was only a matter of time before she and Sokka fell to the ground. However, Sokka wasn't giving up without a fight. With his free hand, he grabbed Boomerang from its sheath and knocked one of the soldiers off his perch. He then kicked his space sword up, caught it with his free hand, and threw it at the other soldier, cutting clean through the metal he was standing on._

"_Bye...space sword," he wailed. _

_More soldiers then appeared a few feet away and were ready to send fire blasts in their direction. With Sokka's weapons gone and her unable to Earthbend or Metalbend, it seeming like thins was going to be the end for them._

"_I don't think Boomerang is coming back, Toph," Sokka said. And then, as if reading her mind, "It looks like this is the end…"_

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered that day. Sokka had saved her life.

And in two weeks, he was getting married. To Suki.

Not her.

This single thought did something she never thought anything could.

It made her cry harder.

She stood there, clutching Boomerang, and cried. She cried for all the times she could have said something to him and never did.

After a while Toph composed herself. She wiped the moisture from her face and took a deep breath. _If Boomerang is here, _she thought, _the sword should be close._ Still holding Boomerang to her chest, she trudged through the marshy water, feeling for any other metal she could find.

About an hour later, another vibration ran up her body, and she smiled as she knew she had again found what she had been looking for.

****

"To Sokka!"

Everyone in the bar lifted their drinks in Sokka's general direction. He smiled and said something that vaguely sounded like "To me!" though after the amount of rum he'd had, coherence was the least of his problems.

Toph sat in the corner, nursing her drink. Everyone there had been toasting Sokka and his nuptials all night. He was getting married in a week, and tonight was his "last night with the boys." She was the only woman there, but it just was natural that she would be with "the boys." She never went in for all the girly stuff that Katara and Suki did. Suki's party was last night, and while she was there, she wasn't that into her party. Toph thought that it would be different tonight, being with Aang, Sokka, and Zuko, since she felt more comfortable with them, but she was just as miserable as ever.

Lost in thought, she was startled when Sokka plopped into the seat across from her. "Hey Toph," he slurred. "Whacha' doin' here by yourself? Come join the party!" He lifted his glass then poured its contents down his throat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slammed the glass on the table.

Toph hung her head. "Don't feel like it," she said.

Sokka put his hands on the table and leaned in toward her. "You don't want to party?" He turned to the rest of the bar. "Hey, someone get a physician. Toph's sick."

Toph grabbed the front of Sokka's shirt and pulled him back to her. "Will you shush up! I just want to sit here for a while, okay?"

Sokka pulled away from her grasp. "Hey, whatever. I'm just trying to be a good host." He stood up and started walking back toward the crowd. "Another round around!" he shouted.

Toph hung her head again and played with her drink some more. There was no use. She was one of the guys, and always would be. And anyway, he was getting married in a week's time. It was time to let him go. She decided there was only one thing to do.

She downed her drink in one swig, stood up, and went over to Sokka. Even without her Earthbending, she still would be able to find him blind. She just had to head in the direction of the loudest person there.

"Hey Toph!" Sokka pulled her into a bear hug. "You've joined us at last." He turned to the bartender. "Another rum for my bestest friend!"

"I don't want a drink, Sokka," she said. "Actually, I need to talk to you." He said nothing. "Alone," she elaborated. Still nothing. "In private." _Still _nothing.

"Oh, for the spirits' sake," she sighed, and pulled him outside by the front of his shirt. There was hooting and hollering following them out of the bar, but Toph ignored it. She pulled him to the little earth-tent she had made to sleep in that night. It was cheaper and quieter than staying at the inn, and she liked sleeping outdoors. She'd gotten used to it during their trips around the world, and found that she still preferred it to an indoor bed and sheets after all these years.

"Where are you taking me?" Sokka sounded like he was sobering a little, but Toph didn't let go.

"Just walk Snoozles." She smiled at the nickname she'd given him almost five years earlier.

Just outside the tent, she let him go. "I have a wedding present for you," she explained. "I was going to wait until next week, but I thought you'd want this for the ceremony, so you're getting it now. Just don't expect anything from me next week, got it?"

"Aw, Toph! And I didn't get you anything!" Apparently he wasn't as sober as he let on.

"Just close your eyes, okay."

"How will you know if they're closed?"

"Are they?"

"Yep!"

Toph grinned. "You're lying."

"Damn," he whispered. "Got me again."

"Don't ever lie to me, because you can't. Don't even try." They'd been playing this game for five years, and she had never been fooled. There had been a couple times she'd let him think he did, but just to make him think he was getting better.

"Are they closed now?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered.

Satisfied that he was telling the truth, Toph walked into her tent and got the items she'd hidden in there. She cleaned Boomerang and the space sword as best she could, so she didn't know if they were clean enough, but she was sure Sokka would take care of that later.

She walked back out, holding them out in her arms. Her heart was beating fast; she didn't know what his reaction would be. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." It was judgment time.

At first, nothing happened. It took a moment, but Sokka suddenly stopped breathing. She could feel his heart start beating faster as he realized what he was looking at. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Are those...?"

"Yes, they are. I found them and thought you'd like to wear them for your ceremony." Sokka picked up the sword first, and then Boomerang. His breathing was still labored, but the slur in his speech had disappeared.

"I...don't…believe it…"

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Like it?" he repeated. "This is the best gift ever! I can't believe you actually found them. I thought they were lost in the ocean forever!"

"They were close," she said. She was going to elaborate, but Sokka cut her off by dropping the weapons and enveloping her in a hug. He held one hand around the small of her back, the other on the back of her head. Toph returned the hug with her arms around his neck. She buried her head in his shoulder, smiling.

"Thank you," Sokka whispered. They stood like that for a while before he pulled away. He held her shoulders. "Why?" was all he managed to say.

Toph regained herself and shrugged. "It was something to do," she replied.

Sokka shook his head. "No, this must have taken forever to find."

"A bit over two months, actually."

"You walked around for two months looking for these? For me?"

"Well," she started as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "you're worth it."

"I don't know what to say." His voice cracked. _Don't cry_, Toph thought. _I can't do this if you cry._ "This is too much. You are the greatest, Toph." He took a breath. "I love you, you know that?"

It was more than she could stand. She forgot why they were standing there, why there was a party going on a hundred feet away, and what was happening in a week's time. She stood on her toes, pulled Sokka's face toward her, and kissed him.

There was no resistance on his part. There wasn't time to resist. It all happened too fast. Toph suddenly realized what she was doing and let go of him. He reeled back a step. She bent her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sokka. I don't know what came over me." Tears pricked the back of her eyes. _Damn it, don't cry!_ "Just forget I did that." Sokka took a step to close the distance between them, cupped her cheeks in his hands and lifted her face to his. She knew that he could see the tears in her eyes, threatening to spill down her face. "Just go back to your party."

"In a minute," he said, and bent his face to meet hers.

His lips touched hers, and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. The noise of the party, the animals, the night, everything went away except for the two of them. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer by the small of her back. As their kiss deepened, Toph felt a warmth spread through her, and the only thing she could do was hold Sokka even closer.

After what was both the longest and shortest moment of her life, she pulled away from Sokka. She closed her eyes and bent her head. "Go back to your party," she whispered. She pulled out of his embrace. "You're not in the right state of mind and don't know what you're doing. You'll regret this in the morning." She gave a short laugh when another thought hit her. "And Suki will try to kill me."

"Toph, I-"

"Just go," she said, cutting him off. She turned to go into her tent. "I'll see you at the wedding next week, okay?"

"Okay…" Confusion clouded Sokka's voice. She didn't want to know the exact reason for it, so she attributed it to the rum he'd been drinking. She heard him pick up his sword and Boomerang. "I'll see you at the wedding." She stood outside the tent, listening to his footfalls getting farther and father away, until she felt him go back inside the bar. A roar erupted when he walked back in. She heard the bar door slam, and she flung herself into her tent, sobbing silently.

****

Toph was in the front row at the wedding. She hadn't spoken to Sokka since the night of his party, mostly because she couldn't bring herself to say anything. _You're a coward,_ she told herself. Adding to the fact that Sokka hadn't even let on that anything had happened, she felt it was better this way anyway.

Katara sat on her left. When Sokka walked out, she gasped. "Where did he ever find his sword?"

Toph shrugged. "Got me," she replied. "Didn't even know he had it." If Sokka hadn't told his sister what had happened, she sure wasn't going to either.

Aang performed the marriage. From what she could tell, it was a lovely ceremony. He gave them a beautiful blessing, and Sokka and Suki promised themselves to each other. When it was over, a cheer went up from everyone gathered. Even Toph managed to clap.

The reception was a grand event. There was dancing and drinking, and a good time was had by all.

Well, almost all.

Again, Toph sat by herself in a corner. She felt Katara getting nearer before she heard her voice. "It's almost time for the guests' dance with the bride and groom," Katara announced. "I know Sokka would want you to dance with him."

"I don't dance," Toph replied.

"Liar." Katara grabbed Toph's hand and pulled her to the dance floor. "You're Sokka's best friend, so you get the first dance with him." Katara led her until she was face to face with Sokka. He took Toph's right hand in his and put his right around her waist. She felt Suki and Aang dancing a few feet away.

An awkward silence passed between Toph and Sokka. Finally, he broke it. "Toph, about the other night…"

Toph shrugged. "I gave you your sword and Boomerang back as a gift. That's all."

"But Toph-"

"That's all." She smiled at him. "Besides, you were too drunk to remember what really happened anyway."

Toph felt a tapping on her shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?" It was Mai, wanting her turn to dance with the groom.

Toph took a step back. "Be my guest." She turned and walked back toward her table in the corner. When she was sure she was out of Sokka's earshot, she whispered, "I love you, too."

*****

A/N: My first fic. The Toph/Sokka pairing just happens to be one of my guilty pleasures.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Avatar. If I did, Tokka would be canon - with cannons!


	2. Sokka's Gift

"Where are you taking me?"

Toph was pulling Sokka by the front of his shirt, and he was getting more annoyed with each step. She had said that she needed to talk to him, and that was fine. But she had taken him away from one of the best parties of his life, and she was walking so fast that his inebriated legs were having trouble keeping up.

"Just walk Snoozles." He smiled at the nickname. She'd given him several over the years, but Snoozles was his favorite.

They stopped outside a small tent made out of rock. Apparently Toph had planned to sleep here instead of the inn. Whatever the reason, it seemed to suit her better.

She let go of his shirt and turned to face him. "I have a wedding present for you," she explained. "I was going to wait until next week, but I thought you'd want this for the ceremony, so you're getting it now. Just don't expect anything from me next week, got it?"

"Aw, Toph! And I didn't get you anything!" He marveled again at how drunk he really was.

"Just close your eyes, okay."

He gave her a sly smile, and then remembered that she couldn't see it anyway. "How will you know if they're closed?"

"Are they?" she asked back

_Ooh, _he thought. _A test. _"Yep!"

A smile spread across Toph's face. "You're lying."

"Damn," Sokka whispered. "Got me again." They'd played this game for years. Sokka felt that he was getting better as he'd been able to fool her a few times. He knew that if he had been properly sober, he would have fooled her this time.

"Don't ever lie to me, because you can't. Don't even try." She paused for a moment. "Are they closed now?" she asked.

He complied with her request. "Yes," he answered. She must have been happy with the answer, because a moment later he heard metal clanging from where he guessed was inside the earthtent.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

He opened his eyes and looked down to Toph's hands. There, splayed across her tiny arms, were a sword and a boomerang. Both had a bit of dirt on them, but even in his inebriated state, he could tell they were well made. The leather wrapped around the hilt of the sword looked like it needed to be replaced, but other than that…

Realization set in on Sokka. His vision suddenly became quite clear and the fuzziness in his head lifted. There was no mistaking the black blade of the sword, nor the delicate Water Tribe markings on the boomerang; he would have recognized them anywhere. He stopped breathing. _It can't be,_ he thought. "Are those...?" His words were more like breath than actual words.

"Yes, they are. I found them and thought you'd like to wear them for your ceremony." He picked up the sword first, and then Boomerang. He was still finding it hard to breathe. He examined both weapons and decided that neither of them were any worse for wear. In fact, all they needed was a good going-over with an oilcloth, and they'd be as good as new.

"I...don't…believe it…"

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Like it?" It was the biggest understatement ever uttered. It was better than anything he'd ever gotten or experienced, ever. "This is the best gift ever! I can't believe you actually found them. I thought they were lost in the ocean forever!"

"They were close," she said. Without another thought, he unceremoniously dropped Boomerang and his sword and pulled her into a hug. He held her back and her head so close to him that he could smell her. It was a combination of dirt, flowers, and the night around them, and something else he couldn't identify, even after spending years in her company. It was a smell that was just Toph.

"Thank you." The simple phrase didn't seem to say enough. He wanted to tell her how wonderful this was, but he couldn't think of the right words to express something so big. He wasn't even sure if such words existed. After a moment, he pulled away and held her by her shoulders. "Why?" was the only thing he could think to say.

Toph shrugged. "It was something to do," she replied.

There must be more to it than that. "No, this must have taken forever to find."

"A bit over two months, actually."

_Two months?_ _Why would she look so long for something like this? _"You walked around for two months looking for these? For me?"

"Well, you're worth it," she replied as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It struck Sokka as a very un-Toph-like gesture. He didn't know what to make of it, but found that he did like it.

"I don't know what to say." His voice cracked, and he could feel tears starting to form behind his eyes. It was all so overwhelming. Toph, her gift, and she was standing so close to him. "This is too much. You are the greatest, Toph." He took a breath before he said, "I love you, you know that?"

He'd never said that to her before, but in that moment, he knew that it was true. He loved her like no one else.

His thoughts were interrupted by Toph, who, for no apparent reason, was _kissing_ him. He didn't even see it coming - it all happened so fast. By the time he'd regained himself, he'd already pulled away from her and stepped back. Toph's head was bent, and she was saying something about being sorry and not meaning what she just did.

The odd thing was, Sokka wasn't sure if he was sorry.

He took her head in his hands and lifted her face towards his. He could see tears in her eyes, threatening to spill down her face. _Toph doesn't cry,_ he thought. He looked into her milky-green eyes, knowing that she couldn't see him, and found himself getting lost in them. Strangely enough, he actually saw sadness and confusion in them, and something else. Was it regret? "Just go back to your party," she told him.

"In a minute," he said. He closed his eyes and bent his face down to hers.

He brought his lips to hers, and kissed her lightly at first. A second later, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she flung her arms around his neck. A part of him wasn't even sure what he was doing. After all, this was _Toph_ - his best friend, compatriot, comrade in war, family and more, all rolled into one. Another part of him decided this was the most natural thing in the world. Toph had become a beautiful woman, and he was only now noticing it. He kissed her deeper and held her even closer. At that moment, there was only the two of them, and Sokka wanted nothing more than for that moment to last forever.

Toph pulled away first. Sokka breathed heavily for a few seconds and looked at Toph. She closed her eyes and bent her head. "Go back to your party," she whispered, exiting his embrace. "You're not in the right state of mind and don't know what you're doing. You'll regret this in the morning." Then she laughed. "And Suki will try to kill me."

_Oh Spirits! Suki! _He'd actually forgotten all about her. How could he forget her? He loved Suki. He was going to marry her in a week, and here he was, kissing another woman. He had to apologize. "Toph, I-"

"Just go," she said. She turned to go into her tent. "I'll see you at the wedding next week, okay?"

_NO! _The thought screamed through his head. _I have to make this right!_ But he also knew Toph, and he knew that she wanted him to go, now. "Okay…" he said instead. Confusion came swimming back into his head, along with the rum he'd been drinking at the party. He bent and picked up Boomerang and his sword. He didn't know what else to say, so settled for, "I'll see you at the wedding," before heading back to the tavern.

He walked slowly and deliberately, hoping that Toph would call him back. She didn't.

Sokka suddenly didn't feel like partying anymore. He didn't want to go back inside, didn't want to face the questions that he knew all the men would ask, and he _really _didn't want to explain where Boomerang and the sword came from. He saw a bench just outside the tavern door, and placed his weapons on it. _It will only be for a minute_, he reasoned, then opened the bar door, walked inside, and slammed it behind him.

A roar went up from the gathered crowd. Sokka managed a weak smile before searching out Aang. _He'll know what to do,_ he thought. He found the young Avatar talking with his father, Hakoda, against the back wall. He walked over to them, trying not to bump into anyone along the way. In his state, it was easier said than done.

When he came face to face with his father and friend, he suddenly decided on a different course of action. "Aang," Sokka finally said, "I want to thank you for a great party." He gave and exaggerated yawn. "I'm going to hit the hay now, okay?" He didn't want to mention anything about Toph until he'd had a chance to talk to her properly.

Aang and Hakoda looked at each other, then at Sokka. "Is everything okay?" Aang asked.

Sokka dismissed the question with a flip of his hand. "Sure! Why wouldn't everything be okay? I'm getting married in a week to a wonderful woman that I completely love and adore." He hoped he wasn't talking too fast. "Did I mention that I love Suki?"

Aang and Hakoda looked at each other again, and again back to Sokka. "Okay, son," Hakoda said, "But you've had quite a bit of rum tonight. Do you want any help getting back to your room?"

Sokka held up his hand and shook his head. "Not necessary, Dad. I can make it."

"Okay then. Good night, son." Hakoda hugged him.

"Thanks for coming Dad."

Sokka made his goodbyes as quickly as he could, and then headed back out the door. His weapons were just where he'd left them. As he picked them up, he glanced over to the earth tent, but Toph was gone. _Maybe I should try talking to her again…_ He put the random thought out of his head. Toph was probably sleeping, and he didn't want to disturb her. Anything he had to say would have to wait until morning.

****

Sokka woke up to the sun streaming in the window and into his eyes, and the worst headache he'd ever had.

He groaned as he tried to pull the covers up over his head. _Oh, Rum, why must you always betray me?_ Just before he became totally enveloped in the blanket, he cracked open his eyes and caught sight of two weapons on the chair across the room.

He sat bolt upright. _Where did those come from?_

Memories came back to him. He was at the party, Toph wanted to talk to him, she gave him Boomerang and the space sword, he hugged her, and then…

Nothing.

He couldn't remember what happened after that. He tried remembering, but all it did was make his headache worse.

"I have to find Toph," he said out loud. "She'll tell me what I did." She always did, usually laughing at what an idiot he'd been the night before.

The only problem was he couldn't find her.

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of activity. Final preparations had to be made before the wedding, and Sokka spent a lot of time cleaning Boomerang and replacing the leather on his sword's hilt. He hadn't told anyone about having them back, mostly because he wanted to talk to Toph first.

But the day of the wedding came, and still he hadn't seen her.

He did his best to put her out of her mind. He dressed in his best warrior clothes, and strapped his sword to his back. He took a deep breath, and walked out in front of his gathered family and friends.

And there, sitting in the front row next to his sister, almost lounging, was Toph.

Then Suki came out.

She looked radiant. She was dressed in a looser style of her Kyoshi Warrior uniform, but this one was all in white, trimmed in green and gold. She had forgone the headdress, and instead had her hair elaborately braided and piled on top of her head. She wore the smallest hint of makeup. Sokka couldn't stop looking at her.

Aang performed the ceremony, though Sokka really didn't hear any of it. He spoke when he was supposed to, and promised himself to her for all eternity.

All in all, Sokka decided that it was perfect.

At the reception that followed, he decided that he'd never been happier. He joked with his friends, danced with his wife, and just reveled in his happiness.

Then, the guests' dance began.

Suki first danced with Aang, and Sokka turned to see who his first partner would be.

Of course, it was Toph.

It _was_ fitting. She was his best friend. But there was something in her stance that said she was hiding something. _I really must have screwed up the other night,_ he thought.

He took her hand in his and began to dance. It always amazed him how she could dance so well. Maybe it was because she could sense where her partner was going to go next.

Neither of them spoke. Finally, Sokka decided that no matter what kind of a jerk he'd made of himself, he had to know - especially if he had hurt her.

"Toph, about the other night…"

Toph shrugged. "I gave you your sword and Boomerang back as a gift. That's all."

_That can't be all. _"But Toph-"

"That's all." She smiled at him. "Besides, you were too drunk to remember what really happened anyway."

_Yes! I know I was! That's why I need you to tell me! _But before he had a chance to say anything, Mai tapped Toph's shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"

He wanted to say yes, he did mind, but instead Toph took a step back. "Be my guest." Sokka watched as she turned and walked back toward the table in the corner.

Eventually, it was over, and he was left dancing alone on the floor with Suki. She was beautiful, and as he looked in her blue-grey eyes, he knew he was happy.

But, as much as he was in love with Suki, and as happy as he was now that she was his wife, he couldn't help but look over at the tiny woman sitting in the corner and wonder why he felt he had missed out on something.

* * *

A/N: What? Sokka doesn't even remember? And no big Tokka payoff at the end? Say it ain't so!

Well, afraid it is so, at least this time!

Big, huge thanks to my beta, aka arashi. You rock more than Toph!

Lastly, the obligatory disclaimer: No, I don't own Avatar...yet!


End file.
